Looking back at painful memories and my choices that probably took me on a sub-optimal path, then sure. There are forks in the road where I might prefer to flip my decision. But I wonder if I really "know best?" We all remember "It's A Wonderful Life" right? And "A Christmas Carol" even? Paving life's potholes might come at the expense of levelling life's peaks. It is worth the risk of losing those heights just to ensure a comfortable stroll through life without stumbles? Is it a good choice to be successful at the cost of isolation? To avoid great loss by sacrificing the experience of a great love? I feel less and less competent at reweaving the tapestry of my life.
I would have done this also. When they moved up here from Florida later in life. There are so many questions I could have asked them. I agree with you and Bobby, that a major change would have so many ramifications it would be risky to change. If I had asked my parents those questions early in life, I might never have left Ohio. That would not have been good.
In my head I was contrasting the two but feeling a sort of compatibility. In the one story the guy realizes his life path was pretty darned great. In the other the opposite was true but he decided to change his approach to things in the future to create a "richer" life for himself and those his life touched.
I agree with you @Yvonne Smith even with all the knowledge and realisation of what happened and how... I'd probably just wished that I'd known sooner what was going on. Changing it? No, because the end results might be too different and now seeing the big picture and the accomplishments I did, how proud my munchkins made me so happy... Granted, I might not have gone to that doctor's office but gone to hospital, the outcome might have been better. Nevertheless, the seeds were grown and that wouldn't have changed but it might mean that my son would be here today... Difficult to understand when the whole story isn't told but it would have been a bit easier. Regardless of the various difficulties, overall it's been pretty good... In the end, we strive for perfection and it gets to 85% instead of a 100% LOL...
As both Bobby and Yvonne have pointed out, it is almost impossible to change one thing without it causing a chain reaction, whereby most everything would be changed. Things I certainly would not want changed. So, I'll stay with what I've gone through, the good, the bad, the ugly. I've made it to age 91, so it wasn't all bad as you could surmise.
Let's see, what would I change? Nothing before my Navy enlistment. My Guardian/step-parents were much better than my alcoholic father ever was. As far as the Navy, I'd been smarter not to get into trouble, but still got discharged with an Honorable Discharge. After the Navy, maybe try harder to stay in college. Been smart enough NOT to get involved/married to my first/second wife (both same woman). Met my wife now much, much sooner. Not spent so many years in the labor of Warehouse/Shipping/Receiving/Stockroom. IOW, got into Inventory Management and Purchasing much, much sooner. Everything else, including owning a horse and doing rodeo, I wouldn't have changed at all. Then again, I loved/thrived on rodeo fans attention in the stands.
Speaking of the Navy... My husband was a Naval Ship Draughtsman and in one of the ships he worked on while visiting for new refit, he got me a bottle of perfume which unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of it as my huge bottle was stolen during a house move, but it was lovely. Sorry for dropping this here...
91 yo, you did good Lois, and happy with the way it went. I'm still a bit younger, and hope to feel like you if I were to get there; where you are. Life is a challenge for all of us, and to see someone who managed their life to that age; and still succeeding to be happy is an inspiring motivation to me.
First wife and second wife; are the same? And moving around a lot; you have no regrets? That's a good thing. Too many years in warehouse shipping; maybe would've changed that ahh? Guess you have to drop it somewhere, Caitlin, a huge bottle of perfume today would cost a fortune. Speaking of that, everything costs so much more than it used to.
Well; now that I am fixing to turn 68 years old, on Tuesday, I keep reflecting on the past, how I would've, changed a few things, and how I feel today versus the past. I don't feel much different mentally, but do somewhat feel different physically. The older we get the more bad habits, we have, aren't as interesting to us, as they were when we were young, "to me". I think that is a good thing. Lots of the desires we had, just don't seem desirable to me. Then there are new different desires to deal with, with a little more knowledge to handle them. If there's anything good to say about getting older, it's the knowledge that comes with getting there; if we are lucky enough to get there.